THE AUSTINOT INTERVIEWS MUSEUM OF THE WEIRD’S STEVE BUSTI

We had a great article written about us by David Thomas today for the popular Austin blog austinot.com. If you’re not familiar with the Museum of the Weird, this is a great preview of some of the things you might find here!

Austin is weird, right? It’s how we’ve branded the city.

We’ve all seen the tie-dye shirts, but how weird is Austin really? Is it mermaid mummy weird? Is it shrunken head weird? The Museum of the Weird on 6th St. is that weird.

The Iceman Cometh

When Steve Busti was just a young lad, he went with his aunt to a K-Mart. In the parking lot was a man with a truck, taking money from a line of people as they peeked into the back of it.

Steve’s aunt paid the man and lifted Steve up so he could see into the back of the truck. He came face to face with the world famous Minnesota Iceman – an ape-man frozen in ice, of controversial origin, which has attracted the attention of the FBI, Smithsonian Museum, U.S. Customs and Vice President Walter Mondale. The world famous moniker is not hype. The Iceman has attracted the attention of international paleontologists and scientists.

First impressions are important. If Steve Busti had never met the Iceman, I may not be writing this story. “If I hadn’t seen the Iceman at such a young age, I’d probably be an accountant or lawyer or something and there would be no Museum of the Weird,” Steve said with a grin. It’s interesting how things work out.

Steve and his wife opened Lucky Lizard Curios and Gifts in 2005. “It’s a reflection of both our personalities,” he informed me. “She has locally made jewelry and I have my oddities.”

The museum grew from there. Steve took advantage of the extra space in the back of the store and above it, and he’s slowly amassed an impressive collection over the last eight years, with his most prized possession being the Iceman. Steve’s acquisition of the Iceman has gained the attention of national media outlets like The Huffington Post.